The sixth day of protests against the cost of living and in defence of public services brought together between 1,600 and 3,500 people this Saturday, November 14 in Nice. A participation that was down compared to the previous week, as the union coalition attempts to maintain pressure in the streets.
The demonstrators were once again at Place Masséna this Saturday afternoon. Called to action by the union coalition, the procession set off shortly after 2 p.m. in an atmosphere punctuated by electronic music. Under grey skies, several thousand people marched through the city centre to denounce the cost of living and defend public services.
Participation figures vary depending on the source. The unions announced 3,500 demonstrators, while the Alpes-Maritimes prefecture counted approximately 1,600. In either case, the mobilisation appears to be down compared to Saturday, November 7. The previous week, between 2,300 people according to the authorities and 5,000 according to union organisations had participated in the gathering.
This decrease comes after several weeks of protest. On Tuesday, November 10, a gathering organised in the rain had brought together between 200 and 250 people in Nice. For the unions, the challenge now is to maintain mobilisation despite the risk of fatigue and the multiplication of scheduled events. On a national scale, 106,000 demonstrators were counted by the Interior Ministry and 200,000 according to the unions.
An unprecedented route via Rue Barla and a failed attempt at gathering
The route presented a novelty this Saturday. After departing from Place Masséna, the demonstrators took Boulevard Jean-Jaurès to Place Garibaldi, then Avenue de la République. The procession then crossed Rue Barla for the first time before heading to Rue Arson and the port district.
Participants continued along Quai des États-Unis and Avenue Max-Gallo to return to Place Masséna. As with previous days of action, Avenue Jean-Médecin was avoided.
On the sidelines of the declared gathering, an attempt at an undeclared regrouping was also reported on the forecourt of Thiers railway station. Around forty young demonstrators gathered there before eventually joining the official procession.
The protests are to continue in the coming days. A new national gathering is announced for Tuesday, November 17, called for by civil service unions.
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